Systems and methods for determining game events based on a crowd advantage of one or more players in the course of a multi-player video game play session

ABSTRACT

The present specification describes systems and methods that enable non-players to participate as spectators in online video games and, through a collective voting mechanism, determine the occurrence of certain events or contents of the gameplay in real time. Game event options are generated and presented to non-players. A specific one of the game event options is then selected based on a collective vote of the non-players. Once selected, the specific one or more of the game event options are then generated as actual gaming events and incorporated into a video game stream that is transmitted to the players as part of the gameplay session. In this manner, non-players may be able to directly affect the course of gameplay.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/787,398, entitled “Systems and Methods forProviding a Crowd Advantage to One or More Players in the Course of aMulti-Player Video Game Play Session” and filed on Feb. 11, 2020, whichis a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/054,507, entitled “Systems and Methods for Enabling AudienceParticipation in Multi-Player Video Game Play Sessions”, filed on Aug.3, 2018, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,596,471 on Mar. 24, 2020, whichrelies on U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 62/609,374, of thesame title and filed on Dec. 22, 2017, for priority. The aforementionedapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present specification is related generally to the field of gaming,animation and computer graphics. More specifically the presentspecification is related to a system and method for enabling non-playerthird parties, such as audience members, to participate in amulti-player video game play session by influencing or effecting gameevents.

BACKGROUND

The proliferation of reliable and affordable broadband services allowsfor a greater number of people to enjoy computer or video games ofvarious genres. For example in some computer games, players conquerterritories of complete other missions for ever-increasing rewards. Inmany role-playing games (RPG) or first-person shooter (FPS) games, eachplayer controls the actions of at least one character. In addition,players develop unique characters and by controlling the actions of thecharacters they create during gameplay, the players (via theircharacters) accumulate various objects and abilities through extendedplay. The rules for how quickly, how many and what type of abilities andobjects a character may earn or gain usually involves several ratings orstatistics. These ratings determine the outcome of various chance orfuture events that lead to new objects and abilities.

Along with the popularity of online gaming, demand for live streaming orpre-stored replays of video gameplay sessions has grown. Furthermore,many gamers are increasingly sharing their gameplay through socialnetworks. In many game titles or genres, a video game player may competeagainst another player either in person or via an online platform. Manyonline games offer leaderboards which allow a player to judge how aparticular game play session compared against other game players. Mostleaderboards measure a level achieved and certain standard statistics,such as the amount of time played to achieve the level. Simpleperformance metrics are often used to display basic statistics onperformance. Examples of such metrics include the number of kills,kill/death ratio, scores, achievements, timings, and levels passed. Thisdata is sent by the game client running on the player's home console orpersonal computer (PC) to the leaderboards service hosted at the backend of the gaming system.

From a player's perspective, certain games may have an endpoint or hit aplateau where the player's enjoyment stagnates because the player hasachieved the biggest challenge possible or has used all of the assetsavailable to him or her in achieving an objective. Users may then wantto try other games in the same genre, but they also have a tendency tobe discouraged if they do not win or acquire any assets in a fewconsecutive games, if they are not able to play at a level they areaccustomed to, if they perceive a game level to be too complex, or ifthe game rewards are not forthcoming.

Further, several players of a video game are not always engaged with thevideo game. Some players may play the game intermittently. Other playersmay visit the game website or use the game app only in rare instances.Especially in the smart device market segment, users are very timesensitive and tend to skip or switch to another game, application,channel or device webpage, whenever they do not feel engaged with agame.

Unlike real live action sports, where even an audience feels veryinvolved in a game, spectators of online virtual games may not feel asengaged with the game. Conventional gaming systems are limited in themanner in which users can engage with or provide inputs on other users'gameplay. For example, commentary on a virtual game is typicallyperformed by recording the gameplay as a media file, overlaying thespeech of commentary on the recorded video and then sharing it. This isbecause the load on storage and network infrastructure imposed by livestreaming of video gameplay sessions can be quite large, potentiallycausing delays and dissatisfaction for end users and maintenanceproblems for system administrators. Thus, having the users participatein a game as spectators or contribute to the game content in real timeis very difficult. Thus, there is a need for systems and methods thatmaximize player engagement and retention and also improve the experienceof playing and performing in video games for players.

There is also a need for systems and methods that encourage moreparticipation and response from users who attend organized, live,multiplayer competitive video gaming events, also known as electronicsports or e-sports events, which are increasing in popularity. A largepart of the audience still tends to prefer to watch matches in suchcompetitions via internet streaming or television broadcast. Thepercentage of viewers who form a live audience can be low. As such,there is also a need for systems and methods that encourage liveparticipation from viewers and that also keep online or remotespectators engaged. Such a system would not only allow the users toparticipate as spectators in video games, but also enable them tocontribute towards the events or contents of the gameplay in real time.It is also desirable that such a video game system does not overload thestorage and network infrastructure.

SUMMARY

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described andillustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods, which aremeant to be exemplary and illustrative, and not limiting in scope. Thepresent application discloses numerous embodiments.

The present specification discloses a method for incorporatingnon-player inputs into a gameplay session, wherein the gameplay sessionis at least partially generated by a computer system and at leastpartially transmitted to a plurality of end user devices and wherein thecomputer system includes one or more processors executing a video gamestreaming application for generating and streaming the gameplay session,the method comprising: determining if a threshold number of non-playersexists to trigger a generation of a plurality of game event options forpotential inclusion in the gameplay session; based on saiddetermination, generating the plurality of game event options;transmitting data indicative of a user interface to at least some of theend user devices, wherein, when executed by at least some of the enduser devices, the user interface presents the generated plurality ofgame event options and receives non-player inputs indicative of a desireto include at least one of the plurality of game event options into thegameplay session; determining a function of the non-player inputs;selecting at least one of the plurality of game event options based onthe function of the non-player inputs; and incorporating the selected atleast one of the plurality of game event options into a data streamrepresentative of the gameplay session.

Optionally, the threshold number of non-players is monitored in realtime.

Optionally, the threshold number of non-players is at least 1.

Optionally, the non-players include individuals watching the gameplaysession remotely on at least some of the end user devices or individualswatching the gameplay session live at a competitive video gaming event.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include an occurrence ofone or more earthquakes, meteor showers, storms, rain, wind, fires,lightning, or other natural disasters.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include an occurrence ofavailable items for purchase during the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include a timing andcontent of supplies and rewards available to specific players in thegameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include a placement orexistence of armor, weapons, treasure, or other resources available tospecific players in the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include placement orexistence of hazards, threats, or challenges presented to specificplayers in the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include changes in alayout of a game map.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options are randomly generated.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options are generated to benefita specific player or team based on a number of non-players supporting,or opposing, the specific player or team.

Optionally, the method further comprises iteratively generating a newplurality of game event options depending on events occurring within thegameplay session and the selected at least one of the plurality of gameevent options previously incorporated into the data streamrepresentative of the gameplay session.

Optionally, iteratively generating the new plurality of game eventoptions includes generating game event options that were nothistorically presented to the non-players.

The present specification also discloses a system for incorporatingnon-player inputs into a gameplay session, wherein system comprises acomputer system for at least partially generating the gameplay sessionand transmitting it to a plurality of end user devices and wherein thecomputer system includes one or more processors executing a video gamestreaming application for generating and streaming the gameplay sessionand executing a non-player input application, wherein, when executed,the non-player input application: determines if a threshold number ofnon-players exists to trigger a generation of a plurality of game eventoptions for potential inclusion in the gameplay session; based on saiddetermination, generates the plurality of game event options; transmitsdata indicative of a user interface to at least some of the end userdevices, wherein, when executed by at least some of the end userdevices, the user interface presents the generated plurality of gameevent options and receives non-player inputs indicative of a desire toinclude at least one of the plurality of game event options into thegameplay session; determines a function of the non-player inputs;selects at least one of the plurality of game event options based on thefunction of the non-player inputs; and causes the selected at least oneof the plurality of game event options to be incorporated into a datastream representative of the gameplay session.

Optionally, the threshold number of non-players is at least 1.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include an occurrence ofone or more earthquakes, meteor showers, storms, rain, wind, fires,lightning, or other natural disasters.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include an occurrence ofavailable items for purchase during the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include a timing andcontent of supplies and rewards available to specific players in thegameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include a placement orexistence of armor, weapons, treasure, or other resources available tospecific players in the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include placement orexistence of hazards, threats, or challenges presented to specificplayers in the gameplay session.

Optionally, the plurality of game event options include changes in alayout of a game map.

Optionally, the non-player input application is configured to randomlygenerate the plurality of game event options.

Optionally, the non-player input application is configured to generatethe plurality of game event options to benefit a specific player or teambased on a number of non-players supporting, or opposing, the specificplayer or team.

Optionally, when executed, the non-player input application isconfigured to iteratively generate a new plurality of game event optionsdepending on events occurring within the gameplay session and theselected at least one of the plurality of game event options previouslyincorporated into the data stream representative of the gameplaysession.

Optionally, the iterative generation of the new plurality of game eventoptions includes generating game event options that were nothistorically presented to the non-players.

The aforementioned and other embodiments of the present shall bedescribed in greater depth in the drawings and detailed descriptionprovided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present specificationwill be further appreciated, as they become better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system of generating and distributingvideo game streams, according to an embodiment of the specification;

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a video game stream (VGS) application,according to an embodiment of the specification;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a process of generating a video gamestream, according to an embodiment of the specification;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of illustrating the components of a non-playerparticipation system, according to an implementation of the presentspecification.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an audiencemonitoring engine, according to one embodiment of the presentspecification; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of incorporatingspectator inputs into gameplay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present specification describes systems and methods that enablenon-players to participate as spectators in online video games and,through a collective voting mechanism, determine the occurrence ofcertain events or contents of the gameplay in real time. In oneembodiment, the present systems and methods generate gaming events thatare inserted into a video game stream, thereby directly effecting theevents, actions, course, objects, resources, or other elements of areal-time gameplay session. Operationally, a plurality of game eventoptions are generated by the present system and presented to a pluralityof non-players. A specific one or more of the plurality of game eventoptions is then selected based on a collective vote of the plurality ofnon-players. Once selected, the specific one or more of the plurality ofgame event options are then generated as actual gaming events andincorporated into a Video Game Stream (“VGS”) that is transmitted to theplurality of players as part of the gameplay session. In this manner,non-players may be able to directly affect the course of gameplay. Inanother embodiment, the present specification provides methods andsystems to encourage more participation and response from non-playerswho attend live competitive video gaming events.

The term “non-player” refers to any individual who is not activelyplaying in a gaming session and may include individuals who wereformerly players or spectators who were never players in the gamingsession, such as non-players who are attending a live gaming event inperson or viewing the live gaming event remotely. The term “game eventoptions” refers to programmatically generated events, actions, objects,or resources of a real-time gameplay session and may include any elementthat is experienced by a player of a gameplay session, such as, but notlimited to, the type of weapon that will appear next in a gameplaysession, the occurrence of natural disasters or other “acts of God”(e.g., earthquakes, meteor showers, storms, rain, wind, fires,lightning, or other natural disasters), the occurrence of availableitems for purchase during a gameplay session, the timing and content ofsupplies and rewards, the placement or existence of armor, weapons,treasure, or other resources, the placement or existence of hazards,threats, or challenges, the placement or existence of random destructiveevents, whether any of the above are applied to, or made available to,specific players and changes in the layout of the game map. The term“elected game event” refers to those game event options that have beenelected by a collective vote, decision, or selection by the non-players.The term “Video Game Stream” refers to a programmatically generated datastream that, when executed by a client device or end user device,generates a gameplay session.

While aspects of the invention may be described herein with reference toparticular types of video game genres, the system and method describedin detail herein may be used in any genre of a multiplayer video game,including where audience members choose to watch the multiplayer videogame in person or via an online platform or where former players becomespectators once they are out of the game and waiting for a current matchto finish.

The present specification is directed towards multiple embodiments. Thefollowing disclosure is provided in order to enable a person havingordinary skill in the art to practice the invention. Language used inthis specification should not be interpreted as a general disavowal ofany one specific embodiment or used to limit the claims beyond themeaning of the terms used therein. The general principles defined hereinmay be applied to other embodiments and applications without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, the terminology andphraseology used is for the purpose of describing exemplary embodimentsand should not be considered limiting. Thus, the present invention is tobe accorded the widest scope encompassing numerous alternatives,modifications and equivalents consistent with the principles andfeatures disclosed. For purpose of clarity, details relating totechnical material that is known in the technical fields related to theinvention have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarilyobscure the present invention.

In the description and claims of the application, each of the words“comprise” “include” and “have”, and forms thereof, are not necessarilylimited to members in a list with which the words may be associated. Itshould be noted herein that any feature or component described inassociation with a specific embodiment may be used and implemented withany other embodiment unless clearly indicated otherwise.

As used herein, the indefinite articles “a” and “an” mean “at least one”or “one or more” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thedisclosed inventions are directed to an improvement in computer-relatedtechnology, namely enabling non-players to affect the progress andoccurrence of events in video gameplay sessions, thereby increasingnon-player interest and viewing of a video gameplay session. Inparticular, Applicant's specification discloses specific teachingsregarding how the claimed inventions enable integrating non-playerinvolvement in a video gameplay session. Accordingly, Applicant'sclaimed inventions do not preempt all approaches to managing therelations between parties and, instead, are directed to an improvementin video gaming technology grounded firmly in a specific way ofachieving the desired outcome of having non-players effect, inreal-time, the progress and occurrence of events in video gameplaysessions.

To the extent the claimed inventions are still considered to be“abstract” in nature, it should be appreciated that each of the claimlimitations, when viewed as an ordered combination, amount tosignificantly more than just an abstract idea or concept. The methodsand systems of the present invention represent technical improvements toa form of computer technology, video games, by providing a specializedcomputer system configured to host a plurality of concurrently executingvideo game streaming applications (for example, anywhere from at least20 video game streaming applications to at least 1,000,000 video gamestreaming applications or any increment therein), host a plurality ofclient devices associated with remotely located non-players (forexample, anywhere from at least 10 client devices associated withnon-players to at least 3,000,000 client devices associated withnon-players or any increment therein), and perform a series ofprogrammatic steps designed to generate electronic user interfaces thatpresent a plurality of game event options, which are specific to thevideo game applications, receive inputs from the non-players indicativeof a desire to include at least one of the plurality of game eventoptions into the gameplay session, and incorporate the selected gameevent options into a data stream representative of the gameplay session.

Exemplary System Architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 of generating anddistributing video game streams, according to an implementation of thepresent specification. In one implementation, system 100 may include acomputer system 110, one or more databases 130, one or more end userdevices 140 in communication with the computer system 110 over a network102, and/or other components.

Computer System 110

In one embodiment, computer system 110 may be configured as a server(e.g., having one or more server blades, processors, and other servercomponents as are known to those of skill in the art), a gaming console,a handheld gaming device, a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer,a laptop computer, and the like), a smartphone, a tablet computingdevice, and/or other device that is programmed to encode, decode, and/ordistribute game streams as described herein.

Computer system 110 may include one or more processors 112 (alsointerchangeably referred to herein as processors 112, processor(s) 112,or processor 112 for convenience), one or more storage devices 114(which may store a VGS application 120), and/or other components.Processors 112 may be programmed by one or more computer programinstructions. For example, processors 112 may be programmed by videogame stream application 120 and/or other instructions. VGS application120 may include various instructions that program computer system 110.As described herein, VGS application 120 will be described asprogramming computer system 110 to perform various operations. However,it should be understood that a portion (or all) of VGS application 120may, alternatively or additionally, program other system components(e.g., end user device 140) to perform at least some of the functions ofVGS application 120.

End User Devices 140

In one embodiment, end user device 140 may be configured as a gamingconsole, a handheld gaming device, a personal computer (e.g., a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, and the like), a smartphone, a tabletcomputing device, and/or other device that can be programmed to presenta video game to be played, view a video game replay, encode a game log,generate a metadata track, and/or perform other functions describedherein. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1 , end user devices 140 mayinclude one or more physical processors programmed by computer programinstructions. For example, end user device 140 may be programmed by allor a portion of VGS application 120.

Although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single component, computer system110 and end user device 140 may each include a plurality of individualcomponents (e.g., computer devices) each programmed with at least someof the functions described herein. In this manner, some components ofcomputer system 110 and/or end user device 140 may perform somefunctions while other components may perform other functions, as wouldbe appreciated. The one or more processors 112 may each include one ormore physical processors that are programmed by computer programinstructions. The various instructions described herein are exemplaryonly. Other configurations and numbers of instructions may be used, solong as the processor(s) 112 are programmed to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that although the variousinstructions are illustrated in FIG. 1 as being co-located within asingle processing unit, in implementations in which processor(s) 112includes multiple processing units, one or more instructions may beexecuted remotely from the other instructions.

The description of the functionality provided by the differentinstructions described herein is for illustrative purposes, and is notintended to be limiting, as any of instructions may provide more or lessfunctionality than is described. For example, one or more of theinstructions may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionality maybe provided by other ones of the instructions. As another example,processor(s) 112 may be programmed by one or more additionalinstructions that may perform some or all of the functionalityattributed herein to one of the instructions.

The various instructions described herein may be stored in a storagedevice 114, which may comprise random access memory (RAM), read onlymemory (ROM), and/or other memory. The storage device may store thecomputer program instructions (e.g., the aforementioned instructions) tobe executed by processor 112 as well as data that may be manipulated byprocessor 112. The storage device may comprise floppy disks, hard disks,optical disks, tapes, or other storage media for storingcomputer-executable instructions and/or data.

Databases 130

The various databases 130 described herein may be, include, or interfaceto, for example, an Oracle™ relational database sold commercially byOracle Corporation. Other databases, such as Informix™, DB2 (Database 2)or other data storage, including file-based, or query formats,platforms, or resources such as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing),SQL (Structured Query Language), a SAN (storage area network), MicrosoftAccess™ or others may also be used, incorporated, or accessed. Thedatabase may comprise one or more such databases that reside in one ormore physical devices and in one or more physical locations. Thedatabase may store a plurality of types of data and/or files andassociated data or file descriptions, administrative information, or anyother data.

The various components illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to at leastone other component via a network, which may include any one or more of,for instance, the Internet, an intranet, a PAN (Personal Area Network),a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a SAN (StorageArea Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a wireless network, acellular communications network, a Public Switched Telephone Network,and/or other network. In FIG. 1 , as well as in other drawing figures,different numbers of entities than those depicted may be used.Furthermore, according to various implementations, the componentsdescribed herein may be implemented in hardware and/or software thatconfigure hardware.

VGS Application 120

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of VGS application (shown as 120 in FIG.1 ), according to an implementation of the present specification. Theinstructions of VGS application 120 may include, without limitation, aVGS encoder 222, elected game event data 224, gameplay session data 223,a VGS decoder 226, a media converter 230, an Application ProgrammingInterface (“API”) 232, and/or other instructions 236 that programcomputer system 110 to perform various operations, each of which aredescribed in greater detail herein. As used herein, for convenience, thevarious instructions will be described as performing an operation, when,in fact, the various instructions program the processors 112 andtherefore computer system 110, both shown in FIG. 1 , to perform theoperation.

In an implementation, VGS encoder 222 may obtain elected game event data224, as further described below, and integrate the elected game eventdata with gameplay session data 223 that is conventionally generated bythe computer system 110. VGS encoder 222 may assign an identifier to theobtained elected game event data and store the elected game event dataand its corresponding identifier (as well as any video game information)in a VGS database, such as a database 130. Elected game event data 224may be persistently stored in the VGS database 130 for later search andretrieval. In this manner, elected game event data of interest may besearched for or otherwise obtained.

In an implementation, optional VGS decoder 226 may obtain a VGS anddecode the VGS to provide the gameplay session with integrated electedgame event data. VGS decoder 226 may include (or be part of) the gameengine, in which case VGS decoder 226 may be specific for a particulargame or set of games for which the game engine provides gameplay. Inother instances, VGS decoder 226 may be generic to different types ofgame engines (and therefore different types of games), in which case VGSdecoder 226 may identify an appropriate game engine to use to read theelected game event data and gameplay session data to provide thegameplay session. VGS decoder 226 may use the identifying information toidentify an appropriate game engine to use.

Media converter 230 may generate the visual and auditory display of thegameplay session (e.g., using VGS decoder 226) and then convert theplayback to a conventional gaming media format. Such conversion mayoccur via server-based processing (e.g., on computer system 110),distributed processing using end user devices 140, cloud servicesprocessing (e.g., via cloud computer systems), and/or through othercomputer processing techniques.

In an implementation, API 232 may provide access to the elected gameevent data 223 to facilitate sharing of elected game events 223. Forinstance, a user may, through end user device 140, request to share anelected game event from a gameplay session being played or alreadyplayed. API 232 may share the elected game event data 223, in any formatdescribed herein, to social sharing networks (e.g., YouTube™, Facebook™,Instagram™ or any other social media network platform). Althoughdescribed herein as relating to a video game session for convenience,the elected game event data 223 may relate to a continuous type of game(e.g., a virtual world simulation) that has no discrete ending. In theseinstances, the elected game event data 223 may refer to a segment oftime during a portion of the continuous game, as well as specific eventsin the course of the game.

FIG. 3 depicts a process 300 of generating a video game stream,according to an implementation of the present specification. The variousprocessing steps and/or data flows depicted in FIG. 3 (and in the otherdrawing figures) are described in greater detail herein. The describedsteps may be accomplished using some or all of the system componentsdescribed in detail above and, in some implementations, various stepsmay be performed in different sequences and various steps may beomitted. Additional steps may be performed along with some or all of thesteps shown in the depicted flow diagrams. One or more steps may beperformed simultaneously. Accordingly, the steps as illustrated (anddescribed in greater detail below) are exemplary by nature and, as such,should not be viewed as limiting.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in the first step 302, process 300 includesobtaining elected game event data, the generation of which is describedbelow. The elected game event data may be obtained from a game enginesubstantially in real-time as gameplay is occurring or the elected gameevent data may be pre-stored and introduced at some later point in timeas gameplay is occurring. Process 300 may be performed by a game engineor a system component separate from the game engine, in which case thesystem component may obtain the elected game event data directly orindirectly from the game engine. The elected game event data may includeor be associated with identifying information.

In the next step 304, gameplay session data is obtained from the gameengine and, in step 306, an insertion point is identified in thegameplay session data, at which point the elected game event data isoverlaid, inserted, or otherwise integrated with the conventionallygenerated gameplay session data. It should be appreciated that,alternatively, a game engine may generate gameplay session data with theelected game event data 302 already incorporated, integrated, orcombined therein, thereby eliminating a separate integration step.Accordingly, the VGS, or portions thereof, is configured to obtainelected game event data 302, as identified by an identifier, andoverlay, insert, or otherwise integrate it with a secondary data stream(conventional gameplay session data) to generate a final video gamestream that is communicated to client devices.

The next step 308 comprises generating a VGS of the complete gameplaysession with both the gameplay session data and the elected game eventdata incorporated therein. Subsequently, at step 310, the VGS istransmitted to end user devices via a network. The end user device maythen process the VGS to generate the gameplay session in real-time.

Generating Elected Game Event Data Based on Non-Player Input

As discussed above, in several multiplayer games, non-players mayparticipate in, and contribute towards, a gameplay session by voting onthe occurrence of gameplay events, thereby generating elected game eventdata. For example, in an action or combat game where random weapons aregenerated from time to time, non-players may vote for the type of weaponthat will appear next. Other examples of elements spectators could voteon include, but are not limited to, the occurrence of natural disastersor other “acts of God” (e.g., earthquakes, meteor showers, storms, rain,wind, fires, lightning, or other natural disasters), the occurrence ofavailable items for purchase during a gameplay session, the timing andcontent of supplies and rewards, the placement or existence of armor,weapons, treasure, or other resources, the placement or existence ofhazards, threats, or challenges, the placement or existence of randomdestructive events, whether any of the above are applied to, or madeavailable to, specific players and changes in the layout of the gamemap—for example, in a large map, certain areas may be removed or closedto access such as by removing a bridge, locking a door, or placing anobstacle, such as fallen trees or a building, to block a path, amongother options.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the components of a non-playerparticipation system 400, according to an implementation of the presentspecification. Referring to FIG. 4 , in one embodiment, the system 400comprises a Non-Player Input application 401, which is in communicationwith a VGS application 402 (shown as 120 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 ), suchthat the content selected by non-players, namely the elected game eventdata, may be incorporated into a video game stream (VGS). Theinstructions of Non-Player Input application 401 may include, withoutlimitation, an audience monitoring engine 403, a voting optionsgeneration module 404, an iterative options generation module 405 and auser interface generation module 406, and/or other instructions thatprogram computer system (110 of FIG. 1 ) to perform various operations,each of which are described in greater detail herein. As used herein,for convenience, the various instructions will be described asperforming an operation, when, in fact, the various instructions programthe processors 112 and therefore computer system 110, both shown in FIG.1 , to perform the operation.

Audience Monitoring Engine

Referring to FIG. 4 , the Non-Player Input application 401 comprises anaudience monitoring engine 403. The audience monitoring engine 403 isconfigured to monitor a number of on-line access streams, each of theon-line access streams being representative of a client device that iswatching a gameplay session. In one embodiment, options to elect one ormore game events during a gameplay session are triggered only when thenumber of non-players meets or exceeds a threshold number. In oneembodiment, the number of non-players, represented by one or more datastreams associated with unique or distinct MAC addresses, is monitoredin real time, thereby allowing the system to determine if a thresholdnumber of players is available. In an embodiment, the threshold numberis at least one non-player.

In some embodiments, a threshold number of non-player votes may bedifferent for different types or categories of game event options. In anembodiment, the game event options may be categorized based on theseverity of their effect on the gameplay. For example, a game eventoption of selecting a weapon may require at least X % of votes from thenon-players whereas a game event option of generating a natural disastermay require at least Y % of votes, wherein Y % is greater than X % sincethe natural disaster has a more severe impact on the gameplay comparedto the weapon being incorporated into the gameplay. In some embodiments,the severity of the effect of an elected game event option, on agameplay, may increase with increasing number of percentage of votes.For example, at least 75% votes may be needed to incorporate anearthquake in the gameplay, but the severity of the earthquake may scaleup with the voting percentage such that a 99% vote may trigger a majorearthquake in the gameplay. Stated differently, game event options havediffering levels of severity and an engine, as further described below,may require game event options of higher levels of severity to have ahigher threshold number of non-player votes as compared to game eventoptions of lower levels of severity.

In one embodiment, the feature of selecting events based on non-playerinput is available to non-players watching a gameplay session remotelyon their devices, as well as to a live audience watching a game at acompetitive video gaming event or e-sports event.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the audiencemonitoring engine. Referring to FIG. 5 , in conjunction with FIG. 4 , inthe first step 511 the audience monitoring engine 403 determines on anon-going and real-time basis, using a first plurality of programmaticinstructions, the number of non-player on-line access streams that areconcurrently accessing a given gameplay session. The first plurality ofprogrammatic instructions may also be configured to receive dataindicative of the number of non-players watching the gameplay session inperson, as opposed to via on-line access streams.

In the next step 512, using a second plurality of programmaticinstructions, the audience monitoring engine 402 time stamps themonitored number of on-line access streams and/or number of non-playerswatching the gameplay session in person (collectively, the monitorednon-players). Next, in step 513, the system transmits the time stampedmonitored number of non-players to a database for storage. Next, in step514, using a third plurality of programmatic instructions, the audiencemonitoring engine 403 accesses the time stamped monitored number ofnon-players and applies one or more functions to determine if and when asufficient number of non-players exists in order to trigger thenon-player participation system 400, as described below. In oneembodiment, the one or more functions may include averaging the timestamped monitored number of non-players over a predefined period of timeand, if the averaged time stamped monitored number of non-players isabove a predefined number or threshold number, as shown in steps 515 and516, the audience monitoring engine 403 transmits an activation signalto the voting options generation module 404, described below. If theaveraged time stamped monitored number of non-player is not above apredefined number, the audience monitoring engine 403 does not transmitan activation signal to the voting options generation module and,instead, continues monitoring the number of non-players. Accordingly,non-player inputs selectable by means of votes are available only whenthere are sufficient or threshold numbers of non-players watching thegameplay session. In an embodiment, the threshold number is at least onenon-player.

Voting Options Generation Module

Referring back to FIG. 4 , once the audience monitoring engine 403recognizes that a sufficient or threshold number of non-players areavailable as described above, the voting options generation module 404in the Non-Player Input application 401 determines a plurality of gameevent options related to future events of gameplay that are to bepresented to the non-players for voting. In some embodiments, the gameevent options are related to dynamic events, depending upon a stateand/or course of gameplay, in addition to future events of gameplay.Accordingly, different instances of the same point in the same level ofa game may lead to different game event options based upon thehistorical success of one or more players, the experience level of oneor more players, the average experience level of all players, the healthlevel of one or more players, the average health level of all players,the weapons possessed by one or more players, the number of kills of oneor more players, the average number of kills of all players, or anyother metric taken individually, collectively, or some other functionthereof.

In one embodiment, non-players may vote to assist or hinder one, some,or all the players playing in an ongoing gameplay session. Their votemay be used to change the status of or affect the health, damage, speed,armor, weapons, skills, items, spells, and other items or attributesavailable to one or more players. It may be noted however, that suchevents that can be decided by the non-players' votes are generated bythe voting options generation module 404 such that these events have thepotential to affect all players equally and keep the gameplay sessionfair. That is, the generation of these game event options is preferablydesigned such that a true randomized, non-biased and neutral gamingenvironment is achieved. The occurrence of events and the gamingenvironment is designed with boundaries such that extremes ofdisincentives and excess incentives are avoided.

In one embodiment, the voting options generation module 404 uses aplurality of instructions to execute multiple methods by which gameevent options will be drawn, preferably randomly, during a gameplaysession. In one embodiment, pseudo random number generators (PRNGs) areexecuted to draw game event options. Non-limiting examples of PRNGscomprise Linear Congruential Generator, Middle Square Weyl SequencePRNG, and Mersenne Twister based PRNG. According to one aspect of thepresent system for example, the voting options generation module 404 mayuse a plurality of instructions to draw events from multiple groups,with each group having a fixed probability of being selected. Accordingto another aspect, the voting options generation module 404 may use aplurality of instructions to select an event group via a “counter value”method, wherein the maximum number of draws allowed is set before agiven group of events is chosen. The probability of generating an eventfrom the group in a smaller number of draws than the maximum is set tobe independent of the draw number. In an embodiment of the counter valuemethod for example, the voting options generation module 404 uses amathematical formula to ensure that each event has an equal chance ofbeing selected to be put up for voting. In another embodiment, thevoting options generation module 404 initializes the draw numbers forevents such that unusually poor events are not successively generated ina game. Thus, the voting options generation module 404 ensures that thetiming and delivery of an event for selection by vote is done in amanner that takes fairness and randomness into account.

In one embodiment, randomness and fairness in the game is ensured by thetype of events that are generated by the voting options generationmodule 404 and presented as options to the non-players for voting. Forexample, events such as natural disasters or “acts of God” have thepotential to affect the playing field equally, and therefore affect allplayers. Other examples of events that affect competing players equallyinclude allowing a particular weapon to be available for a certainamount of time at a particular location, so that all players have anequal chance of trying to obtain it; providing a health and energy boostto each team's weakest member, or closing a common area on the game map,so that both the teams have to adopt a different route and/or strategy.In one embodiment, competing players are provided with notice of aforthcoming elected game event after the non-players' votes have beentallied, to allow them time to prepare for the elected game event. Forexample, if the non-players vote for a natural disaster, such as anearthquake, the players may receive a notification that an earthquakewill strike within 2 minutes or some other time frame.

One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that although theplurality of game events options presented for voting are selected in arandom but equitable manner, the vote of the non-players may beconfigured to specifically help or hurt one set of players. For example,non-players may give the losing team members a boost by choosing toprovide them a weapon whose owner is decided by voting, or thenon-players may vote to disable one of the winning team's special powersor other attributes. Thus, the non-players may be allowed to affectgameplay by affecting the game balance or by introducing random,unpredictable scenarios.

In some embodiments, the voting options generation module 404 segmentsnon-players into, at least, a first group that is provided access to afirst set of game event options and into a second group that is providedaccess to a second set of game event options, where the first set ofgame event options is greater than the second set of game event optionsand where the segmentation is based upon attributes, achievements,profile elements, or other characteristics of the non-playersthemselves. In an embodiment, the voting options generation module 404determines if a non-player meets a threshold number of conditions out ofa plurality of predefined conditions such as, but not limited to, thenumber of hours of a game played, whether the non-player is a liveaudience member or viewing the game remotely, the non-player'sexperience gained in a particular game, the non-player's level achievedin a game, the non-player's ranking in a game, the number of times thenon-player attended a live event, the number of times the non-playerattended a specific e-sports arena, and the number of times thenon-player attended an event featuring a particular team.

If the threshold number of conditions are met then the voting optionsgeneration module 404 presents a higher number of game event options tothe non-player, as a reward, in comparison to other non-players who donot meet the threshold number of conditions. Alternatively oradditionally, if a certain type of condition is met by a non-player, thevoting options generation module 404 presents a specific game eventoption and/or a higher number of game event options to that non-playerin comparison to other non-players who do not meet satisfy the certaintype of condition. For example, if a non-player A attends an e-sportsevent as a live audience member (certain type of condition), then thenon-player A is presented with more number of game event options to votefor as compared to another non-player B who may be viewing the gameremotely and not physically present at the e-sports event.

In some implementations, the plurality of game event options arepresented to the non-players for voting only after the non-playersovercome at least one challenge. In embodiments, the voting optionsgeneration module 404 implements a plurality of instructions to generateand present at least one challenge to the non-players which needs to beaccomplished before the plurality of game event options are presented tothe non-players for voting. In some embodiments, the at least onechallenge may be in the form of an interactive mini-game (for example, ashort duration game) wherein the outcome of the non-players playing themini-game impacts which non-player will be presented with game eventoptions for voting and/or other rewards. As illustrative non-limitingexamples, a) non-players who complete the mini game or achieve a certainscore or objective unlock an ability to vote on presented game eventoptions, b) which ever fan group receives the highest score in themini-game, has the largest number of fans completing an objective in themini-game or a combination of the two unlocks a benefit for their team,c) non-players who complete an objective in the mini-game are enteredinto a random draw (apart from unlocking the ability to vote on thepresented game event options) and at least one winner gets to directlyinteract into the live game, and d) non-players who complete anobjective in the mini-game are entered into a random drawing (apart fromunlocking the ability to vote on the presented game event options) andat least one winner who achieves a score above a threshold score, forexample, gets a chance to play in a get-together, such as a party, withtheir favorite streamer or player.

Iterative Options Generation Module

The Non-Player Input application 401 further comprises an iterative gameevent options generation module 405 which uses a plurality ofinstructions to iteratively generate new options for game events thatcan be selected by non-player vote. In one embodiment, the new optionsgenerated by the iterative options generation module 405 depend on atleast one of a plurality of factors such as, but not limited to, thecourse of the game, namely how the gameplay progresses, the historicaloptions presented to and/or selected by the non-players, number ofplayers or teams that have been eliminated, how far the game hasprogressed, time left in game, player proximity to each other (e.g., toomany players in a boring zone). In one embodiment, the new options aregenerated by the iterative options generation module 405 in real-time,as the game is played. For example, if one or more of previous eventsselected by vote have caused one of the playing teams to considerablyenhance their strength, the iterative options generation module 405 mayexecute a plurality of instructions to generate new options whichprovide the users a chance to vote for an event that enhances thestrength of the lagging team. As another example, if an event causes“heavy rain” in the game, subsequent options generated by the iterativeoptions generation module 405 may allow the users to select “flooding”of one or more areas on the game map, thereby making it inaccessible toall players of the game. Thus, the iterative options generation module405 provides voting options in line with prior events and the course ofthe game. In one embodiment, the iterative options generation module 405determines a plurality of additional game event options based oninferred non-player interest. Thus, for example, if a majority ofnon-players appear to prefer a particular maneuver in a combat basedgame, as inferred from non-player votes and other data, the iterativeoptions generation module 405 may generate similar maneuvers as one ofthe plurality of game event options to the non-players in future.

User Interface Generator

After determining the options for gameplay events on which non-playerscan vote, the user interface generator module 406 in the Non-PlayerInput application 401 uses a plurality of instructions to generate auser interface in the client device of non-players that presents theplurality of game event options to the non-players and allows them toselect one of the plurality of game event options at various points intime during the gameplay using their devices.

In an embodiment, the Non-Player Input application 401 communicates withthe VGS application 402 to generate a user interface with voting optionson the client devices, in accordance with the instructions executed bythe user interface generator module 406. In an embodiment, the userinterface is generated at the end user device(s) by the VGS decoder(referred as 226 in FIG. 2 ). The user interface thus generated by theVGS decoder may be overlaid on the gameplay session, for thenon-players, and may include hotspots or other interactive elementsconfigured to receive user inputs. Operationally, the VGS decoder 226causes a user interface with selectable inputs to be provided at theclient device, in accordance with the plurality of instructions executedby the voting options generation module 404 and the user interfacegenerator module 406, that allow a user to specify which of theplurality of game event options should be integrated into the gameplaysession. In a voting system, the choices of all the non-players arecommunicated through the user interface to the game engine, and thevotes are tallied to determine which of the plurality of game eventoptions will constitute an elected game event and, therefore, be used inthe gameplay session.

The elected game event module 408 is configured to receive, fromnon-players client devices, data indicative of which of the plurality ofgame event options has been selected by the non-players. The electedgame event module 408 is preferably in communication with one or moredatabases to store the number, timing, and association of each vote withspecific non-players relative to each of the plurality of game eventoptions. The elected game event module 408 further determines which ofthe plurality of game event options receives enough votes to warrantbeing incorporated into a gameplay session and, therefore, constitute anelected game event. The determination of which of the plurality of gameevent options receives enough votes to warrant being incorporated into agameplay session is achieved by comparing the number of votes to one ormore threshold values.

It should be appreciated that a non-player may be exercising multiplesvotes at the same time, either in a particular match or across multiplematches in an arena. For example if there are two matches happeningsimultaneously in the arena, a non-player or spectator may be able tovote on both of those matches. In some embodiments, voting is limiteddepending upon the proximity of the spectator. For example, if anon-player is seated in an area designated as spectating for aparticular match, then he can only vote on that match. In someembodiments, certain events can only be voted on by those non-playerswho are live audience members, or by those in certain designated seatsor physical proximity. In some embodiments, certain events can only bevoted by those non-players who are watching virtually or remotely whilecertain events can be voted on by any spectator live or remote. Therestriction regarding who may vote may be effectuated by the votingoptions generation module or by a filter in the user interfacegenerator.

Using the VGS Application for Incorporating Selected Events into theVideo Game Stream

In an embodiment, the Non-Player Input application 401 communicates withthe VGS application 402 to generate a user interface with voting optionson non-player client devices. Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction withFIG. 2 , while the VGS decoder (referred as 226 in FIG. 2 ) in the VGSapplication causes a user interface with selectable inputs to beprovided at the client device, the VGS encoder (referred as 222 in FIG.2 ) is configured to accept user-provided content from the end userdevice(s). In one embodiment, VGS encoder 222 may include an inputinterface configured to receive voting inputs from non-player end userdevices. In one embodiment, the VGS application 402 includes acommunication module, which is configured to obtain voting inputs and/oraction requests from the non-players, via the user interface, andtransmit it to the VGS encoder for implementation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart summarizing an exemplary method of incorporatingnon-player inputs into gameplay, using the non-player participationsystem of FIG. 4 . Referring to FIG. 6 in conjunction with FIG. 4 , inthe first step 601, the audience monitoring engine 403 of the Non-PlayerInput application 401 determines if and when a sufficient thresholdaudience exists in order to make the voting system available. That is,non-player inputs selectable by means of votes are available only whenthere are sufficient or threshold numbers of non-player watching thegameplay. For this purpose, in one embodiment, the number of non-playeris monitored in real time. In the next step 602, after it is determinedthat a sufficient audience exists, the voting options generation module404 of the Non-Player Input application 401 determines the plurality ofgame event options that are to be presented as voting options to thenon-players. In the next step 603, the user interface generator 406causes a user interface associated with the voting options to begenerated on the end-user client devices, by means of the VGS from theVGS application 402. The user interface puts forward various selectableoptions to the non-players and allows them to select one of the multipleoptions at various points in time during the gameplay. In the next step604, the game events corresponding to the options selected by majorityvote of the non-players is incorporated into the video game stream (VGS)at the appropriate time, which is enabled by the VGS application, asdescribed above. In one embodiment, the system iteratively generates newoptions for game events that can be selected by non-player votesdepending on the course of the game, as the game is played, and thehistorical options presented and/or selected, as shown in step 605.

Participation of Live and Remote Audiences During a Competitive GamingEvent

In yet another embodiment, the present specification describes a systemand method for encouraging participation of viewers in a live videogaming event and actively engaging both live and remote audiences ofsuch events.

In an implementation, the present system allows for the “crowdadvantage” that is commonly seen in live sports events, to be simulatedin the user devices of non-players who are viewing a live gameplaysession remotely. In an instance, a live crowd response at an e-sportsevent may be used to create an in-game effect for the users viewing thegame remotely. This effect may include cheering and/or clapping from theaudience, which is heard on end user devices as well. In one embodiment,to simulate the effect of crowd advantage, virtual effects areintroduced that may work to the advantage or disadvantage of a competingplayer or team. For example, when the decibel level of home crowd in alive e-sport event reaches a certain threshold, as determined by a soundmonitor in data communication with the Non-Player Input application 401,an effect may be introduced against the visiting team—such as loweringthe headphone volume of the visiting team, or introducing static intheir headphones to further disrupt communication. This provides anincentive for the spectators to participate in live e-sports events bymaking such an event more engaging for them and motivating them to watchthe event live to support their team. In one embodiment, crowds in suchlive e-sports events may be seated in different sections based on theirinterest in the team they would like to support, with sound monitorscustomized to process sound data from a particular section as beingindicative of support for, or rooting against, a particular team orplayer. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that thepresent system does not just allow in game effects for a home crowd, butaccounts for audience response seated in the visiting sections as well.

In an implementation, as a variation of the above instance, the presentsystem allows remote viewers to specify using their devices, which teamthey are supporting. In one embodiment, the team with more fans watchingmay receive an advantage in the match. For example, the elected gameevents module 408 may be configured to receive data indicative of whichplayer or team has more supporters. Such data may be in the form ofdirects votes, cheering sounds, booing sounds, or other communicationsindicative of either support of, or opposition to, a particular playeror team. Once the elected game events module 408 receives such data, itautomatically selects one or more game events to be incorporated intothe VGS. Such automatically elected game events may include 1) dimmingthe visual experience of gameplay for a team or player having fewersupporters or having more opposition among the non-players, 2) loweringthe headphone or auditory volume of gameplay for a team or player havingfewer supporters or having more opposition among the non-players, 3)adding static to the visual or auditory experience for the gameplay of ateam or player having fewer supporters or having more opposition amongthe non-players, or 4) creating momentary “blackouts” of the visual orauditory experience of the gameplay for a team or player having fewersupporters or having more opposition among the non-players.

In an implementation, as another variation of the above instance, thepresent system accounts for and incentivizes live audiences for variousaudio levels and characteristics of crowd cheering, chanting or singingthat add to the communal experience and entertainment value. Forexample, when the decibel level of a home crowd in a live e-sport eventreaches a certain threshold, as determined by a sound monitor in datacommunication with the Non-Player Input application 401, certainpredetermined in-game digital items may be unlocked for the fans and/orthe crowd may get entitled for other forms of reward such as, but notlimited to, discount coupons, favorite team based accessories, andautographed items. In various embodiments, the sound monitor in datacommunication with the Non-Player Input application 401 may additionallybe configured to recognize a plurality of characteristics of the crowdaudio such as, but not limited to, a degree of unison in which the liveaudiences may be singing, chanting (similar to European style footballor terrace chants), presence of specific words in an order and/or abovea threshold decibel level and similarity to one of a plurality of hymns,popular music, folk songs, specific songs, advertising jingles, nurseryrhymes and theme tunes. It should be appreciated that rewards may bedistributed using a digital distribution system, such as byautomatically allocating a reward to the game account of a non-player,or using a physical distribution system.

In some embodiments, the audience monitoring engine 403 (FIG. 4 )executes a plurality of instructions to implement a system to weighvotes of the non-players. Votes of a non-payer may be weighed based onat least one of a plurality of criteria or characteristics associatedwith the non-player such as, but not limited to, the number of hours forwhich the non-player has played a game, the non-player's experiencegained in a particular game, the non-player's level achieved in a game,the non-player's ranking in a game, number of times the non-playerattended a live event, number of times the non-player attended aspecific e-sports arena, and the number of times the non-player attendedan event featuring a particular team. In some embodiments, non-playerscan accrue or lose points that are then translated as appropriateweights and applied to their votes. For example, non-players can accruepoints by performing certain activities such as, but not limited to,attending, watching or spectating matches wherein attending a match aslive audiences may accrue more points as compared to attending a matchremotely, playing the game or completing a plurality of in-gameobjectives.

In one embodiment, non-player inputs obtained from the audience watchinga match live may be used to select the view of the gameplay beingstreamed or broadcast. A VGS may comprise multiple camera angles orperspectives of a gameplay session. In one embodiment, non-players maybe allowed to select one of several different views of the gameplaysession, including an aerial view, a first-person-view of a particularplayer in a multi-player game, or a side perspective view of thegameplay session. In one embodiment, the collective choice of theaudience, as represented by majority non-players votes, may be used as abasis for selecting a particular viewpoint to be displayed on ane-sports broadcast or live stream of the gameplay session. In oneembodiment, the non-players who are able to vote include the liveaudience—who may vote using an app or a user device, as well as remoteaudience who may vote using the device they are viewing the gameplaysession on. In some embodiments, this feature is only available to alive audience, in order to encourage live participation in the gamingevents. It may be appreciated that a VGS may comprise a plurality ofdifferent tracks, thereby enabling non-players to choose which track touse, effectively enabling non-players to toggle between different views.

In one embodiment, members of the audience may be selected toparticipate in an ongoing game. For example, in a combat or fight basedgame, a member of the audience or a fan may be invited for operating agun turret or a tower in the ongoing game or match. The member may bechosen in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to randomselection using a draw of lots, winning a contest held prior to theevent or during the e-sports event, paying for the opportunity, makingin-game purchases while playing the game online, playing in specificonline tournaments, watching advertisements while playing the gameonline or watching advertisements during the event, among other options.It may be appreciated that this feature of selecting an audience toparticipate in an ongoing game may be applied to viewers watching thevideo gaming event live or remotely. In some embodiments, this featureis only available to a live audience, in order to encourage liveparticipation in the gaming events.

In another embodiment, viewers watching an e-sports event live may berewarded with prizes, rewards or entitlements based on the outcome ofthe gaming event. For example, user A, who plays a video game and isalso a fan of Team X in the game, designates Team X as his favorite teamin a live match that he or she watches at an event. If Team X wins, userA is given an in-game reward or entitlement, such as bonus points orlevels, tools or weapons that can be used while playing the game, a rareset of in-game supplies or a discount on a game, in-game digital item ora physical item. In embodiments, the discount may or may not have a timelimit on them. For example, a coupon or code/token may represent adiscount for a limited (or unlimited period of time. It may beappreciated that the outcomes which generate rewards for viewers are notlimited to just their favorite team winning, but may include any otherevents or outcomes in the game that may be deemed fit to encourage userengagement. Examples of such outcomes include the favorite player of aviewer getting the ‘most favorable player’ award, a team picked by thenon-player winning the match, or a score exceeding a certain threshold,among other scenarios.

In one embodiment, the appropriate outcome-based reward is given to anon-player on confirming his or her presence as a live audience member,such as by producing a ticket he or she bought or by confirming ageographical location tag (geotagging). Such location may be based onInternet Protocol address information, network connection information(e.g., network devices used to connect the user to the Internet), GlobalPositioning System data, or other location information based on alocation device or receiver.

In one embodiment, a plurality of conditions may be applicable totrigger an outcome-based reward for a non-player. In other words, if anattendee is a) physically present in an e-sports arena b) possesses aphysical object and c) a specific match outcome occurs then a reward istriggered for the non-player. For example, a non-player a) attends ane-sports event (as a live audience), b) buys a team souvenir at theevent and c) his team wins the match then the non-player gets a rewardin the game.

The above examples are merely illustrative of the many applications ofthe system and method of present specification. Although only a fewembodiments of the present specification have been described herein, itshould be understood that the present specification might be embodied inmany other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe specification. Therefore, the present examples and embodiments areto be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and thespecification may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A method for generating a crowd advantage for one or moreplayers of a multi-player gameplay session based on a presence or actionof supporters, wherein the multi-player gameplay session is at leastpartially generated by a computer system and at least partiallytransmitted to a plurality of end user devices and wherein the computersystem includes one or more processors executing a video game streamingapplication for generating and streaming the multi-player gameplaysession, the method comprising: determining a total number of supportersfor each of the one or more players, wherein a supporter is anindividual who is watching the gameplay session, who is not playing inthe gameplay session, and who has indicated support for a specific oneof the one or more players; comparing the total number of the supportersfor each of the one or more players; based on the comparing, identifyingthe one or more players having a greatest number of supporters;determining a game event based on said comparing, wherein the determinedgame event provides an advantage to the one or more players with thegreatest number of supporters and wherein the advantage is at least oneof: (a) dimming a visual experience of the multi-player gameplay sessionfor at least some of the one or more players who do not have thegreatest number of supporters; (b) lowering an auditory volume of themulti-player gameplay session for at least some of the one or moreplayers who do not have the greatest number of supporters; (c) addingstatic to a visual or auditory experience of the multi-player gameplaysession for at least some of the one or more players who do not have thegreatest number of supporters; or (d) creating temporary visual orauditory blackouts of the multi-player gameplay session for at leastsome of the one or more players who do not have the greatest number ofsupporters; and incorporating the game event into the gameplay session.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the total number of supporters foreach of the one or more players is determined by aggregating dataindicative of each individual's support of, or opposition to, at leastsome of the one or more players.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thesupporters include individuals watching the multi-player gameplaysession remotely on at least some of the end user devices.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the supporters include individuals watching themulti-player gameplay session live at a competitive video gaming event.5. A system for generating a crowd advantage for one or more players ofa multi-player gameplay session based on a presence or action ofsupporters, wherein the system comprises a computer system for at leastpartially generating the multi-player gameplay session and transmittingit to a plurality of end user devices and wherein the computer systemincludes one or more processors executing a video game streamingapplication for generating and streaming the multi-player gameplaysession and executing a non-player input application, wherein, whenexecuted, the non-player input application: determines a total number ofsupporters for each of the one or more players, wherein a supporter isan individual who is watching the gameplay session, who is not playingin the gameplay session, and who has indicated support for a specificone of the one or more players; compares the total number of thesupporters for each of the one or more players; based on the comparing,identifies the one or more players having a greatest number ofsupporters; determines a game event based on said comparison, whereinthe determined game event provides an advantage to the one or moreplayers with the greatest number of supporters and wherein the advantageis at least one of: (a) dimming a visual experience of the multi-playergameplay session for at least some of the one or more players who do nothave the greatest number of supporters; (b) lowering an auditory volumeof the multi-player gameplay session for at least some of the one ormore players who do not have the greatest number of supporters; (c)adding static to a visual or auditory experience of the multi-playergameplay session for at least some of the one or more players who do nothave the greatest number of supporters; or (d) creating temporary visualor auditory blackouts of the multi-player gameplay session for at leastsome of the one or more players who do not have the greatest number ofsupporters; and incorporates the game event into the gameplay session.6. The system of claim 5, wherein the total number of supporters foreach of the one or more players is determined by aggregating dataindicative of each individual's support of, or opposition to, at leastsome of the one or more players.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein thesupporters include individuals watching the multi-player gameplaysession remotely on at least some of the end user devices.
 8. The systemof claim 5, wherein the supporters include individuals watching themulti-player gameplay session live at a competitive video gaming event.